Lost in the 21st Century
by Miss Pontmercy
Summary: An old theme, revisited again! Marius and Cosette get transported to the 21st century, and have to go to high school. Watch them encounter movies, cars, rock and roll, and... broadway! Enjoy.
1. Waking up in 2010

**Ok- no one yell at me for writing this, please, because it's something that's been turning around in my head for such a long time. The theme of "Les Mizzies in High School" has been tossed around very frequently, but I really wanted to write a story about it... Of course, it's Marius/Cosette. So... enjoy!**

* * *

Cosette rolled over, waking instantly. She blinked the sunlight out of her eyes- where was she? Outside, it seemed. No, she was definitely outside. She was laying on grass, in a wood somewhere, the sunlight streaming through the trees.

Was this a dream? It had to be!

Looking to her left and right, she started, seeing Marius laying asleep beside her. Well, if this was a dream, then that was nothing new. Since she'd finally spoken to him that day in April, he'd been in all her dreams. But as she shivered in the cool morning air, she began to wonder if this really was a dream. Self-consciously, she crossed her arms over her chest, covering herself. The cotton was thin. They were to be married in two months- but they were not married yet.

Looking about more thoroughly, she noticed an ugly satchel-like bag lying beside them. She carefully untied the cotton strings, and opened it up. Inside was a letter, written on smooth, dazzlingly white paper.

_Welcome to the year 2010._

She stopped reading instantly. heart heart beating wildly. This was definitely a dream.

"Marius!" she said, shaking him until he roused. Surely he could make sense of this!

He stirred, then opened his eyes, giving her a confused look, as if wondering why she was there when he woke up. She watched him grow more confused as he realized that they were outside.

"Something is very, very, wrong," she said, handing him the letter with her eyes wide. She bit her lip in anticipation.

He rubbed his eyes, and then took the letter from her, reading it aloud. He stopped at some places in shock, and she grew more and more afraid with each passing word.

_Welcome to the year 2010. You have just been transported here from your century as a result of a time traveling experiment in India. You must not give away the year you truly hail from, and will act as people in the 21st century do. Inside this bag are clothing appropriate for this time period, as well as a map. You must put on the clothing before you leave the wood. Afterwards, follow the instructions written on the map. You will reach a safe house. The woman inside knows you are from the nineteenth century, and she will explain the rest. Best of luck._

"What the hell is going on?" Marius asked, not minding his language. Usually Cosette would be alarmed, but today she was not.

"I have no idea- this sound utterly-"

"Fictional!" Marius cried.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Best find out, shouldn't we? Let's follow the instructions for now."

She opened the bag, and pulled out two pairs of rough, blue pants. She grimaced. "What are these? They're ghastly."

Inside the waistband was a label- 'Levis 501.'

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

Marius shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

After that, she pulled out shirts- but they had no buttons! Instead, they were made of a stretchy material. After that, she pulled out things that looked like undergarments. She blushed, then wondered something more important- where would they dress? Marius seemed to be wondering the same thing, for he was quite decisively looking away, staring at the trees.

"I'll..." she trailed off, not knowing at all what she was going to do.

He picked up the larger of the pairs of clothing, and went behind a tree. She smiled- he was just a gentlemen.

So she began to unbutton her nightgown. She figured out where the undergarments went- one article was rather similar to the little pantelets she wore. The other, however, was rather bulky and odd-looking. However, it didn't take a genius to know where it was supposed to go. After some fiddling around with strangle fastenings in the back, she was pleased to feel that it was much more comfortable than a corset. As she picked up the stretchy red shirt, she frowned again. It was so ugly. However, she put her arms through the sleeves, and stuffed her head through it, pulling it down. Then, she had an awkward battle with the pants. She'd obviously never worn pants before, but she'd seen them on men, and had figured out how to put them on. But these were tighter than she'd anticipated, and clung to her legs. She was embarrassed at how revealing they were.

"Are you dressed?" Marius asked, and she replied that she was. When he came out, she found him to be dressed exactly as she was.

"We match," she said in disbelief. "In this century, do men and women want to look alike?"

He was shaking his head, looking at her. "No. No, no no. This will not do."

"What?" she asked. Yes, the clothing was hideous, but...

"Those pants! They're too... too..." he blushed. "You see _everything!_"

She blushed right back, looking down at her legs, completely revealed. It was mortifying- but more mortifying that Marius noticed.

"Apparently that's how they dress here," she defended.

He shook his head again. Cosette realized that they had no choice, however, and handed him the satchel.

"Here- let's try and find this house, so we can possibly understand what's happened to us."

He shrugged, but agreed. Together, they found the map and began making their way out of the woods. When they finally reached a parting of the trees, they saw what looked like a road. Only instead of cobblestone, there was only smooth, black rock. It was deserted.

They turned left like the map instructed, and a few seconds later, Cosette heard a _whooshing_ noise from behind her. Turning, she gasped at what she saw, and then screamed as it hurtled right past her.

Marius was shaking in fear next to her, his eyes wide as he followed the fast-moving, four-wheeled object.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice quivering in fear.

He shook his head, unable to answer. It had been red, and shiny. It looked like a carriage, but without a horse, and it moved by itself. Looking around, Cosette noticed that there were wooden poles placed evenly on either side of the street. Between the poles were thick, black strings, that seemed to go one forever. What were they for?

As they went to find the house, three more of those automatic carriages passed by them. Finally, they reached their destination. The house looked a little different than houses they were used to, but it was not altogether _too_ frightening.

"This is the place," Marius said, checking the address on the door, and checking to see if it matched the one on the map. "I guess we should... knock."

And, with a fearful glance at her, he did.


	2. High School

The door opened, revealing an older woman clothed in the same pants that Cosette and Marius were wearing. She was wearing glasses.

"Ah," she said, sighing knowingly. "It seems I have some new visitors. Now come inside so I can explain."

Cosette looked curiously at Marius, who shrugged. They followed the woman inside, and she had them sit on a couch. The living room looked rather similar to living rooms in 1832, only it was much more casual. Cosette was surprised to see how messy it was- fabrics soft and slightly dirty, pillow disheveled, belongings strewn about the place. However, it gave the room a lived-in feel.

"What year are you from?" she asked brusquely.

"We're from 1832," Marius said. "But how did you know we were from another time?"

The woman eyed them carefully. "You have that look. Deer in headlights."

Cosette and Marius exchanged a glance, not knowing what she meant by the expression.

"Never mind. I just get people like you a lot, you see. From other times. So, here's the details. This is the year 2010, and I'm Mags Loman. Nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand. They both shook it. "And you are?"

"Marius Pontmercy and Cosette Fauchelevent," he answered.

"So you know each other?" Mags asked. Cosette nodded. "Oh, you wouldn't be surprised at the people I get sometimes! So, you know you're in 2010. And there's going to be many things that are different than in your time period. For one thing, starting on Monday- it's Saturday today- you're both going to go to school."

They both exchanged a glance questioningly. However, school was a word they knew- it wasn't too threatening. "So girls go to school all the way until they're seventeen here?" Cosette asked. She'd stopped when she was fourteen.

"Yes. Everyone goes to school together, actually," Mags answered. "Until they're eighteen. And then they apply to go to a university."

Marius and Cosette exchanged glances.

"Boys and girls go to school... together?" Marius asked. "They attend class together?"

She nodded. "Look, there are so many things you are going to have to learn about, but there just isn't time. Inventions, phrases, popular practices-"

"You skipped over something incredibly important!" Marius said, aggravated. "What are we _doing _here?! We have to get back- we don't belong here. People back at home will realize we're missing. What the hell is going on?" he exploded, angry and scared. Cosette, eyes wide, just looked at the strange woman for answers.

She sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. I know that for the past few years, there's been time traveling research going on in India. I haven't been privy to it- the government just wrote me one day and alerted me that I would give refuge to people who are transported here. I understand that this is frightening, but you will be sent back," she said, then hesitated. "Hopefully."

Cosette buried her face in her hands.

"Now, let's start at the beginning," Mags said, leading them into another room. "We've now come about this very convenient energy source, known as electricity..."

* * *

"My daughter's room is on the right, you can sleep there," she told Cosette, then directed Marius to the room next door. Mags had two grown children, so they were staying in their bedrooms. Marius and Cosette began climbing the stairs, exhausted. They'd just had a crash course on the twenty-first century, learning about television, electricity, plumbing, cars, air conditioning and heating, as well as what teenagers do for fun. They also learned not to speak of their engagement to the other kids at school, because apparently seventeen-year-olds didn't normally get engaged.

"I'm not seventeen!" Marius said indigently.

"Yes, I know. You're twenty-one. And now, that's illegal. So when I sign you up for school on Monday, you _will _be seventeen. Otherwise the authorities will be coming after you very shortly."

On their way upstairs, Cosette took Marius' hand. "I'm scared," she said softly.

"Me, too. This is all so frightening and new."

"It's a different world," she whispered. "And everything is so easy. Everything is available at your fingertips. Water, entertainment, food..."

"I know," he said. "But for now, let's enjoy it. It feels like a dream- and maybe it is! So let's just see where it takes us. It's a glimpse into the future- we can find out where the human race is, a hundred and eighty years from now! This is the chance of a lifetime."

They reached the landing upstairs, and Cosette opened the door to the bedroom she would be staying in. She tentatively flipped the light switch just like Mags had taught her, still caught off guard by the instant brightness. She winced. "It's so..."

"Purple," Marius finished. "Why are the walls _purple? _That's-"

"Vile," Cosette added. "Now let's see your room," she said, opening the door next to hers. She wrinkled her nose.

"Green," he said shortly. "Why is everything so garish?"

She shrugged her shoulders. This new world was a mystery.

* * *

"Here are your schedules," the secretary said, handing them each a sheet of paper. Mags pulled them aside.

"So these numbers," she said, pointing to the numbers that followed the name of the class, "Are the rooms that you'll be in. The 100 numbers are on the first floor, 200 numbers on the second floor, and so on. Make sense?"

They nodded.

"Now it looks like they put you in a lot of the same classes," she said, pointing out.

Out of eight periods, they had geometry first period together, then health. Cosette was in chorus next, and Marius was in home economics.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Sewing and cooking and things," Mags said. He made a disgusted face. "It's probably the only class they have room for a new student in," she said. After that, the two had literature together, then lunch. They split up for the next two periods- Cosette having European History and physics, Marius having World Civilizations and chemistry- then they finally rejoined for gym class.

"This sounds positively miserable," Cosette said. "We're here _all day."_

"Every kid has to do it," Mags said.

"How does one have a childhood like this?" she asked, annoyed.

"They don't," Mags explained. Cosette grunted, then gathered her notebooks.

"We have twenty minutes," she told Marius. "Let's try and find our way around."

"You'll have someone taking you," Mags said. "They're going to have a girl take you around. She should be here soon."

And, just in time, came a smiley, bouncy girl with a ponytail. She looked very happy to see them.

"Hi! My name is Katie, and I'm student council president! It's _so_ nice to meet you!" she said, smiling hugely and extending her hand. They shook it, taken aback by her energy.

"What kind of name is 'Katie'?" Marius whispered to Cosette, but she ignored him, trying to make a good impression.

"We're _so_ glad you're here! How are you liking our school?"

They told her how wonderful it was (because that was obviously what she wanted to hear), and then were escorted to their first class.

"She was nice," Cosette said as they entered their classroom.

"She was talkative," Marius grumbled.

For his part, he was undergoing a sort of terrified catharsis. There were girls _everywhere._He'd never seen so many in one concentrated building, and it frightened him. They were just like they were in 1832- giggling, gossiping, whispering. It made him nervous, and he felt like he was being constantly scrutinized. Also, they stared at him and Cosette as they walked by. He wished they'd look away, and stop making him feel like the center of attention. He hated attention.

The teacher walked into the classroom. They introduced themselves, but thankfully he didn't devote much class time to them. The lecture started then, and Marius took comfort in it. He'd never been very interested in math, but this lesson was nice. Geometry, at least, had not changed, and he'd studied it when he was younger. It was familiar, and he could finally get a grasp on something. Looking over at Cosette, he didn't feel so on top of things. She looked utterly miserable, lost, and overwhelmed. He couldn't blame her- she hadn't been taught any of this. Learning all this in one day would be awful. He tried to smile encouragingly at her, but she just turned away, too confused to notice.

After class, it seemed as though they were descended upon by a flock of curious, adolescent girls.

"So you just moved here?" a girl asked.

"Does it suck to be new?"

"Suck?" Cosette asked, but she just received an annoyed glance in response.

One girl, bolder than the rest, gave Marius a look and then asked, "Are you two, like, together?"

He knew what she meant even if she used words he didn't understand (honestly- what was the obsession with the use of the word 'like'? He'd heard it at least twenty times in the past two minutes). That was when he took Cosette by the hand and led her out of the room.

"I can't take all this _chattering!"_ he complained.

"You wouldn't have liked the convent," she said.

"I'm so glad _you_ didn't like the convent!" he replied, smiling at her. She smiled back, looking bemused.

"Did you understand anything that he was talking about in there?" she asked. Marius nodded. "Explain, please, when we get home. I don't want to get a failing grade-"

"Cosette, we're going back home. It doesn't matter if you fail."

She looked at him beseechingly. "You don't know that. You have no idea how long we're going to be here."

He agreed. For the rest of the day, they were interrogated by students (mostly females, Marius noticed with fear. The boys didn't seem to care). They anxiously made their way through the building, and sat with each other in the cafeteria, eating the disgusting food, ("These _can't_be good for you," Cosette said, poking at some French Fries). Feeling tired, overstimulated, and sickly, they were picked up by Mags in the front of the building. They stressfully held onto the sides of the car for dear life as it whizzed through the traffic, making them both slightly green with dizziness. Finally, they sat at the kitchen table as Marius tried to explain geometry to Cosette. She wasn't concentrating very well; during the course of the day, she'd realized she was more of a reading person than a math person.

"Marius- did you know that there's going to be a massive world war?" she asked, bringing up yet again her European History class. She had to contain her excitement from it- she was learning things that, in 2010, had happened in the past, but to her, hadn't happened yet. Marius, learning ancient history, was learning things that he could have figured out on his own in 1832, had he cared enough to.

"No," he said. "That sounds dangerous."

"I think there's going to be two, actually," she said. "World War One and World War Two."

He wrinkled his brow. "When do those take place?"

"Not until the twentieth century, I think. So we should be safe."

All in all, the day had been full of new information for them. They'd enjoyed the wealth of facts that they were now privy to, and had fun trying to watch tv. They were instantly popular, because they were new students, so everyone wanted to talk to them. Marius got asked if he had a girlfriend about six times, which infuriated Cosette (Marius found Cosette's infuriation quite adorable). Overall, it had been an enjoyable day, but in a dreamy sort of way. When they had bid goodnight to each other and Mags, and Cosette lay in the bed in the ugly purple room, she felt her eyes fill with tears. Homesickness overtook her, and she missed her father. She missed her home, because this place- this foreign, rude, overly colorful place- was not where she belonged.

* * *

**There- you like?! I have a good idea for the next chapter. **


	3. Cosette's Questions

Cosette hated school, she decided. Honestly- why was it even needed? She wasn't stupid, but everyone at the school thought she was. And because she had to keep her true origins secret (though who would believe her if she told them anyway?) they all believed her to be daft. All she wanted was to tell them that, where and when she came from, you didn't need to know all this useless information. She doubted that they needed it now, either. It seemed that all the kids just memorized random facts and spat them back to the teacher. She despised it.

Marius tried to help, but there was just too much she did not know. For geometry, for example, she was completely overwhelmed by the principal of sin and cosine. When he tried to explain it, however, he had to use words like 'right angle' and 'hypotenuse' that she just didn't know. There was so much groundwork that hadn't been laid.

"I'm not simple!" she cried, exasperated. "I just never needed to know this! I knew _practical_ things for a girl in Paris at the time. Girls in Paris didn't need to know triangles or circles or... or...!"

"I know," Marius said, for he did. He was just as lost as she was when it came to chemistry. But he didn't even _try_ to understand that- most of it hadn't been discovered until after his time. He hoped to just slip by, unnoticed.

Mags told Cosette that, should she not know something, she should ask the teacher to explain it to her. Cosette stuck to this steadfastly, much to the annoyance of the teachers and the laughter of her classmates. She was confused a _lot, _and her hand was in the air more often than not. People began to think she was a complete innocent, and it made Marius angry. Once, when he was changing for gym (a practice he appreciated- at least they still kept _some_ things modest, he thought bitterly), he heard some people talking. They had such a strange, casual way of speaking that usually he didn't understand, so he tuned it out. Still, he caught a few words.

"Man- that girl is so frickin' dumb!" one guy said, laughing hysterically. He then raised his hand timidly, doing an over-the-top impersonation of a girl asking a question.

"Yeah- but dude. She's _hot._ Have you _seen _her?" his friend asked, shaking his head appreciatively. "I wish new girls like that would come here every day!"

Marius ducked behind a row of lockers, not knowing if he wanted to be seen yet, for he now knew what they were talking about.

'Isn't she with that guy- the other new kid?" one boy asked.

His friend laughed out loud. "Yeah, I think so... but he seems kind of gay... Maybe we should have someone else show her what she's missing, huh?"

Marius had no idea what they were talking about. He was perfectly content, yes, but why was that a bad thing? And it wasn't as though he seemed _overly _happy. He was quite miserable most of the time in this strange world. And what would Cosette miss by being with a happy person?

"Yeah... whatever. I think I could possibly take the stupidness if I got a look at the body-"

"The face alone makes it worth it!" one screeched. "Well... not quite."

HIs friends laughed. Marius now knew _exactly_ what they meant, and he was furious. But there seemed to be three of them, and one of him, and maybe now wasn't the best time to start a fight.

"Her boobs aren't really that big, though- would be nice if she had a _little _more-"

He didn't here anything else, just left the locker room, fuming. He stood in the hallway, waiting for Cosette so they could go home. When she emerged, she was smiling at him.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully.

"Hello," he grumbled, jealousy causing him to be bitter.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

He sighed- it wasn't her fault that she was so beautiful. He found it in his heart to forgive her, and instead focused all of his anger on the boys who'd been talking.

"Nothing. Let's go home," he said.

* * *

That night, Marius lay in his bed, thinking the day over. This world was so foreign, yet so much the same. The boys still went after the girls just as his friends had, but now the girls were far less modest. It made him cringe to see how they dressed and flirted. Profanity was abound in the hallways and on the streets, and that made him feel upset, like there was no respect anymore. He just couldn't wait to go back home and live in peace.

Just then, his door opened.

"Hi," Cosette whispered. "I was lonely," she said by way of explanation, and then hesitated before joining him in his bed. She curled up right next to him, lying very close. He ignored any of the stirs that were caused by her closeness, trying to keep himself honest. Sometimes he forgot how innocent she really was- how little she knew. After all, she had no idea what she was going. And just laying like this, well... it was nice.

After a minute or two of quiet, Cosette whispered into the darkness.

"Marius, I don't like it here," she said. "You know what I'm afraid of?"

"What?"

She put a hand on his shoulder, resting her head on his chest. She was quiet for a long time before answering. "I'm afraid that one of us will be sent back without the other."

That thought had occured to him, too. He didn't know what he would do if that had happened. He wanted to go home, yes, but if it meant going home without Cosette? He'd stay here, thank you very much.

But he had no answer for her- he was just as scared, just as clueless as she was. So, for a minute, he just gave into his desire and pressed his lips to hers, pleased when she kissed him back. For moments, minutes, or hours- who knew?- they just lay there kissing, until they both fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, they started a new unit in health class.

"Human sexuality!" the teacher, Miss Brown, informed them. She was a plain woman- light brown hair, light brown eyes, always wore beige- and looked, well, very healthy. When she informed the class about their new unit, they all cringed. Well, all except one.

Cosette wrinkled her brow, and tried to catch Marius' eye, but he seemed to be resolutely not looking at her. She leaned over and asked the girl next to her what the unit was about, but just received a shocked look and a hysterical giggle in response.

_Fine, _Cosette thought. _If no one will tell me, then I guess I'll just have to-_

But before she could raise her hand, the teacher spoke again.

"Now, before we begin this unit, I want everyone to be very comfortable using the correct terminology. There's absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about!" she said, as people started giggling. "So we're going to start with two games. You may know them- the penis game, and the vagina game."

Everyone seemed to sink low into their seats. _Alright, _Cosette thought. _So there's another question I have to ask._

She raised her hand into the air, and Miss Brown called on her.

She smiled. "I just want to know what you're talking about. What's a... penis?"

Instantly she realized she'd done something wrong. Everyone started laughing- they looked at their friends, making incredulous faces. Marius buried his face in his hands, and the teacher looked at her, concerned and confused.

Cosette blushed, mortified. "I just don't know!" she said. "I haven't heard about it before. Sesuality?"

"Sexuality," Miss Brown corrected, looking concerned again. "Dear, you mean you've _never _heard-?"

Cosette didn't want to answer- by now, with everyone laughing, she knew the best thing to do would just stop talking.

"It's fine- I'll just..."

"Cosette," Marius whispered. After he got her attention, he promptly looked away, but continued to speak. Even he was embarrassed! "I'll talk to you after class, alright? Just... don't raise your hand again. Wait until after class."

She nodded, and then was silent for the rest of the class. There were only ten minutes left (thankfully), but by the end of it, Cosette already had a better grasp on things. She learned that this sex thing was where babies came from, at least.

On her way out the door, she ignored what everyone was saying behind her (though she heard a few things- the usual expressions about her being stupid, and then people exclaiming with surprise about how she didn't know. Finally, she heard someone say something about Marius, which she didn't understand: "He must be gay- not to have tapped that!" What was 'tapping'? And what did Marius being happy have to do with it?). Angrily, she just pushed through the people out into the hallway. Marius caught up with her, but she just kept walking, staring straight ahead.

"Cosette-"

"That was _so _embarrassing!" she said, wiping tears from her face with her sleeve. "Why didn't you tell me sooner not to ask? I tried to ask you, and you ignored me!"

"I was embarassed!" he said. She turned and looked at him, her cheeks bright red still.

"Embarrassed of me?" she asked, hurt.

"No," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Never. Embarrassed about what we were talking about."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this sooner?" she asked, her voice small. "For seventeen years, _no one told me_-"

"None of the girls know," Marius explained. "Or, most of them don't. A lot of the boys don't know, either, Cosette."

"So," she asked, looking him strong in the eyes. "This is where babies come from? This is what people do on their wedding night?"

"Yes," he said.

She nodded, trying to maintain her dignity. Then, she turned and resolutely began to go to class.

At the end of the week, she remarked to Marius: "Why would anyone do this? It sounds vile. And that presentation we had today-"

"Cosette, that presentation was about diseases that you can _get_ from doing that. It's not something that automatically happens."

She wrinkled her nose. "Still..."

This health class wasn't doing anything for Marius. All it did was talk about horrible things that can happen if you sleep with someone. Diseases, pregnancies that drove girls out of their homes, even death. Today, they were shown a disgusting presentation with pictures of the symptoms.

In terms of Cosette, it was just about the worst first impression a girl could get to the more carnal aspects of human relationships. Marius hoped things would turn around, or he was doomed to quite a celibate marriage.


	4. Movies

**Just going to remind people- and I know you all know this- but because of when they're from, Marius and Cosette are pretty conservative (socially anyway). Plus Marius is Marius, and therefore he makes prudes look like prostitutes.**

* * *

For a few days, their relationship was slightly awkward, and Marius blamed health class. He was a shy, reserved person by nature, and being forced to learn about the more disgusting diseases one could contract from sexual intercourse was like torture to him. It was only more embarrassing knowing that Cosette was there, too. However, that was pretty much all the class talked about, and it scared Cosette and disgusted her. She couldn't be blamed- they were shown pictures that made anyone's stomach churn. It was obvious what the point of the class was- Don't Do It. However, even that would be shocking to someone who knew nothing about it whatsoever until a week ago.

Honestly, he'd been worried about how Cosette would fare when she finally did learn about this topic- however, that had been _before_it was thrown in her face. The outcome had been awkwardness and a series of misconceptions on her part. He could scarcely bring himself to say something to her, though, for he himself was so embarrassed.

After three days of her discomfort, however, he decided enough was enough. He couldn't sleep, so he left his bedroom and went across the hall- making sure to tread quietly so as not to wake anyone- and opened her door.

"Cosette?" he called, extremely softly, almost hoping that she was asleep so he could be spared this. Of course, she was awake.

"Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

"Yes," she said, and he entered her room, kneeling on the floor next to her bed, right next to where her head rested on the pillow.

"I know you're feeling... overwhelmed," he began.

"Scared," she corrected. "Everything's new here anyway, and then I learn about... about..."

"I know," he said. "But I want to tell you not to worry about any of it. The documents we registered at school with say we're both seventeen here. If we're still here when we both turn eighteen- the majority- then I'll marry you here. If we can't get sent home, we'll just have to adjust."

She smiled at that- they'd do what they could, she knew. He was resting his arms on the bed, and she laid her hand on one of them.

"And about... the rest," he said, and she smiled knowing from the tone of his voice that he was embarrassed. "Don't worry about that either. You're hearing all these extreme things- those diseases that you're worried about... and, well, Cosette you can only get that if you're with someone who _has _that kind of disease," he said, slightly disgusted at the thought. "And you can only get the disease from someone else, so... you're safe there."

"What do you mean?" she said, confused.

"You've seen me at school- girls terrify me. That isn't a new trait to my personality, Cosette- before I met you, I hadn't spoken to a girl. And now I speak to you... but I don't know. I get so uncomfortable, so it's not as though I could have... could have..." he couldn't even finish the thought, but by now she knew what he meant. "I never loved anyone but you," he finished. "And... don't worry about that. Customs here are different, but where we're from, you're not supposed to give yourself until marriage. And that's what we're going to do," he said with an air of finality in his voice.

She didn't ask any more questions- really, all she wanted to do was stop talking about this. The conversation took some stress off of her, but she was ready to completely bury the issue. She didn't understand it and didn't want to, at least not until the time came. And though Marius had spoken with a fierce and steadfast decisiveness, he still leaned forward and met her lips with his. And though she'd wanted to abandon the topic completely, she felt herself kissing him back. At first slowly, and then more passionately as the darkness and the closeness affected them. Her hands ran up his arms until they hooked around his neck, and she felt the heat of his hands on her back. She was wearing a loose, cotton garment- a tea-shirt, she thought it was called- and could feel his touches through it. What she hadn't expected was to feel the heat of his hands without the buffer of the shirt at all. She gasped when his hands slipped beneath the cotton, touching her lower back and stroking her soft skin as he kissed her. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't find it quite wrong enough to want to pull away. _Is this what everyone is telling me is so wrong to do?_ she thought to herself. _Because it doesn't feel wrong at all._

Evidently, it was, because all too soon, he pulled away, retracting his hands from beneath her shirt and pulling the blanket back around her.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That was..."

She heard the word 'wrong' hanging in the air, but he never said it. Instead, he just let the sentence stay static and unfinished, as though he could not bear to add a negative word to the end of it.

"Goodnight," he said simply, standing up.

"Goodnight," she whispered back. She wanted him to stay with her as he had that night the week before, but it was obvious by his tone of voice that he would not. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, and then left.

* * *

At school, Cosette had been making progress. She didn't ask so many questions, after she learned that it was not doing her any favors. One Monday, a girl in her class named Emily leaned over and talked to her. She seemed nice, but Cosette was nervous because Emily was asking her all about where she'd come from and why she'd transferred schools. Mags had instructed her and Marius on what to say if someone asked them this- they used to go to private school, but it hadn't met the testing requirements and couldn't stay open- but the encounter was still nerve-wracking. Emily was also in chorus with her, and had a friend named Hannah who was also friendly with Cosette.

After she left the convent, she hadn't had friends like this. All week, they talked and joked, and Cosette found that easy companionship like this was really enjoyable. It was so easy to talk to girls. They said a lot of things she still didn't quite understand, but she liked them all the same.

On Friday, she was surprised when they invited her to go out with them.

"A bunch of our friends are going to see a movie," Hannah remarked.

"Oh... cool," Cosette said, proud that she'd used a word that seemed to be popular, and managed to act like she knew what they were talking about at the same time.

"Boys and girls. I know you have a boyfriend, so he can come too if you want," Emily said. "We're meeting at the mall at six. The movie's at seven, but we can get dinner first."

"The mall?" Cosette asked, knowing it was a stupid question, but needing to know all the same. What was a Mall?

"The one in town," Emily said, taking out a sheet of paper and writing down directions. That wasn't what Cosette meant, but she shook it off. She'd get Mags to tell her what a Mall was, if it meant that she could fit in.

When she left school that day, she was ecstatic. Marius had agreed to go with her- reluctantly though, because of course, girls would be there, but she made him promise to come, too- and Mags had explained everything and agreed to drive them. Cosette and Marius even learned what a movie was- 'like a play, only it's two-dimensional, and you can watch it over and over.' Cosette was so excited to see one.

They met at the mall, and Marius was relieved- the girls there weren't as frightening as some of the ones he saw at school. They talked to him like a human being, not like something they wanted to eat. His heart rate went down, and he could enjoy the outing.

"What movie are we going to again?" one of the boys asked.

"Um, well 'Saw V' just came out, I thought we could see that," Emily said. "I want to. Does anyone not want to?"

The other kids seemed excited about it, so Cosette and Marius played along, acting as though they knew what the first four 'Saw' movies were about, and therefore would want to see a fifth. When the other kids were engaged in conversation, Marius leaned over to Cosette.

"Why would anyone make four movies about the same thing?" he asked. "And have you heard anything about it?"

"No," she said. "And I have no idea. It sounds dreadfully boring. But we'll only have seen one, so it should be tolerable. Besides, we've never seen a movie at all. I'm looking forward to it."

Thirty minutes into the movie, though, she didn't remember why she wanted to see one in the first place. It was disgusting and horrific at the same time- she'd never seen so much blood in her life. Why did people find this entertaining? It was horrible and frightening, and all it did was upset her. She hated violence, for one thing, and that was all this movie was. But aside from that, it was all too realistic. Several times, in the dark of the theatre with the huge screen, she had to convince herself that it was not real. She felt bile rising in her throat, her eyes were swollen from tears, and by then, she wasn't even looking. She was turned completely away, with her fingers in her ears. She still managed to hear screams. The other kids she was with looked frightened, but she and Marius were a completely different story. She was sobbing with her face buried against him, and he was shaking in his seat. She felt a hand on her back, and she forced herself to look up.

"If you're scared," he said, looking terrified. "We can leave... I'm, er... not to keen to stay myself," he said. She jumped up and ran out of the theatre as though being chased by the villain from the movie. The other kids looked up and saw her run away, and Emily and Hannah looked guiltily at each other.

"I guess she doesn't like scary movies," they said.

That night, the phone in Mags' house rang. Cosette was still recovering- she didn't let Marius leave her side, and was sitting in the garishly pink bedroom with all the lights turned on. When the ringing began, she jumped and screamed. So did Marius.

"It's for you," Mags called, and came in to hand the phone to Cosette. Mags had taught them each how to use one, but it was still confusing- they heard someone's voice, but didn't get to see their face. Strange.

"Hi, Cosette." It was Emily. "Sorry about the movie today. It was kind of a fail."

"It's alright," Cosette said. "I haven't seen that many movies, so I wouldn't know what to pick." _Or any movies at all._

"It wasn't good anyway," Emily said. "Look, I feel really bad that you had such a bad time. So Hannah, our other friend Danielle, I are getting together, and we're watching, like, good movies."

"Oh? Better than 'Saw'?" Cosette said, her eyes widening in fear. And what was a 'sleepover'?

"Yeah. Movies you'd like. You can come over if you want," she said. "Here's my address if you want to come..."

When Cosette hung up, she decided to go.

"Since I'm here, I might as well have fun, right?"

"I just hope you have more fun than you did tonight..." Marius said.

* * *

"So here's the selection for tonight," Emily said, taking out a stack of thin, flat boxes with pictures of people on the outside.

"I thought we were watching movies?" Cosette said, confused. Weren't movies on huge screens?

"We are, silly," Hannah said. "DVDs?"

"Right," Cosette said, giving up. She'd just let whatever happened happen.

"So, you decide. _27 Dresses, A Walk to Remember, _or _Titanic?"_

"Um... you decide," Cosette said. The girls put in _A Walk to Remember._

Two hours later, Cosette's face was again covered in tears, but this time, they were good tears. All the other girls were crying too, and talking about how unfair it was that she died. Danielle was crying the most, and kept talking about how cute the boy was and how much she liked a boyfriend like him. Cosette noticed that she was a soft one when it came to romance.

"He was so nice to her," Cosette said. "That was horrible!"

All the girls agreed, and Cosette decided she liked love stories- they might end sadly, but at least there had been happiness before that. She mentioned this, and Emily piped up:

"Better to have loved then lost then to have never loved at all."

"What's that?" she asked, before deciding that the phrase was true.

"It's just a quote," Emily said.

"Who said it?"

"I have no idea. It's one of those phrases that people just _know._ You know?"

_No,_ she thought, but went alone with it anyway.

Then, the girls put the movie _Titanic _in.

"I can't believe you haven't seen this!" Danielle said. "Emily showed it to me last year, and... oh my god. So sad. But it's amazing. So. Good."

Cosette was ready to take her word for it. When it started and the leading man came on, the girls shrieked and started talking about how 'hot' he was. But she liked it- she thought it was sweet. Danielle kept claiming that he was 'making her _melt!'_ Cosette understood the sensation, though it wasn't exactly from the movie.

"This is, like, my favorite part," Hannah said, and then all the sudden the woman was naked! Cosette blushed furiously as the man on screen started drawing her. "Watch _him,_" Hannah instructed. "Watch how he looks at her."

Cosette did, and saw attentiveness and concentration on his face. Wasn't that what one needed to draw someone? But there was something else there, too. Something that she recognized.

More of the movie went by, and then the couple was in a car. The woman whispered something, and then they were kissing and touching...

_Oh,_ Cosette thought. _That's what it is,_ and then she suddenly understood.

At the end of the movie, she was once again in tears, though the sadness didn't cover up her excitement for the epiphany she'd had before.

"Does one of the lovers always die at the end of the movie?" she asked.

"Usually," Emily said bluntly.

It was time for her to go home, but she asked if- next time- she could watch a movie with a happy ending. Pleased with her progress for the day, she got into Mags' car and went home.

"Hi!" Marius said when he saw her. "Why are your eyes all red?" he asked, looking more concerned than he needed to be. Her heart swelled, thinking of Jack Dawson and the cute boy from the movie about the sick girl...

"You, monsieur, are coming with me," she said, dragging him upstairs. When they were alone, she shut the door and looked at him seriously. "Marius," she said. "I understand now."

"Understand what?" he asked, and when she didn't answer, he knew. "Then _why_ are you crying?" he asked incredulously.

"I'll tell you later," she said, pulling him to her and kissing him. True, when they were back home, they weren't allowed to do this. _But,_ she decided, _best take advantage of the opportunities one has._

* * *

_**Hey! Please let me know if you liked this, or if was too much about the movies. I always got the impression that Cosette would be a total sap and would love 'Titanic,' though...**_


	5. Party

So, Cosette understood. As people at school liked to say, she 'got it.' And it wasn't long before Marius realized how deeply she understood, and took it upon himself to stop her from getting any further education.

"Cosette," he whispered regretfully. He didn't want to stop- everything in him was telling him not to, except his mind. His mind told him to moralize and be respectful, and- being a rational person- Marius listened. He removed her hands- the ones that were interlocked around him- and put them back against her sides. Then he frowned, raising an eyebrow. Instantly, she blushed and took a step back.

"Sorry... I just..." _How could I do that?_ she wondered. _What made me act so boldly?!_

_"_It's perfectly forgivable," he said, smiling at her. "But we should stop."

She turned red and stepped away, confused as she felt a heavy mix of feelings. She didn't want to stop, and yet she knew it was proper. But she felt now more than ever that she wanted to kiss him- was that wrong? She had no answer.

* * *

Mags opened the mailbox on Monday, humming to herself and leafing through the letters. There were the usual bills, catalogs, and junk mail, but hidden between a postcard from her niece and a real-estate agent's advertisement was a letter from an address she recognized.

Hastily, she ripped the envelope open as soon as she reached the kitchen table. Inside was the survey she'd been expecting, asking for personal information about her newest visitors. She had never spoken to these people conducting this experiment all the way across the globe, but they sent visitors to her so often that she knew how the process worked.

She filled out all the information she knew- age, names, country of origin, year of origin, state of health, if they'd been damaged from the journey, and more. Finally she stuffed the letter back into its return envelope and walked back outside, wondering why on earth anyone would ever want to be taken from the time they were used to. It was intriguing, yes, but Mags just felt terrible for the young people who were staying with her. They did not belong here, and they were ripped from their environment and thrust into a strange, fast-moving world that frightened them. She did not envy their position.

However, the surveys never asked for her opinion, just scientific details and data.

* * *

"Mags told us to not close ourselves off so severely," Cosette told Marius. "So maybe we should sit with some people when we eat lunch."

He didn't want to- after all, why make friends when they didn't fit in anyway?

"Just for today," Cosette pressed, and he agreed. They found the same group they had all gone to those movies with- the girls and a few boys- and sat down.

"Hello," they greeted warmly, and then went back to discussing a party that would be taking place on the weekend.

"So I heard her parties are always really wild," a boy named Andrew said. "But this is the first one we're invited to, so I think we should go."

"Yeah- what harm could it do? I've never been to a party like this, and it sounds kinda cool." Emily said, then turned to Marius and Cosette. "Do you two drink?"

They looked at each other, puzzled. "Of course," Marius answered. "Doesn't everyone?"

He knew that back home, everyone always had wine with their meals, but apparently not here. The kids around him exchanged impressed, disbelieving glances.

"Seriously? You too, Cosette?"

She wrinkled her brow. "Well, yes. I mean, I don't drink in excess, of course, but..."

"We just never expected you guys would, like, drink," a girl said. "'Cuz you're so, um..."

No one finished her sentence, but they just shrugged.

"Are you going to the party then?"

Once again, they looked at each other. _Nothing to lose, _Marius thought. _Another learning experience._

"Sure," he said. _Let's see what parties are like in 2010._

* * *

Apparently, parties were very busy. There were so many people dancing around, smashed into one house with cups of beer. There were people kissing, flirting, and fighting, and while it was loud and crass, it was not too unexpected. After a few minutes mingling with people they were starting to know, the two sat on a couch. Half of it was taken up by a couple who were violently kissing next to them.

Cosette wrinkled her nose, sitting up with dignity, her shoulders back. "This is tacky," she summed up. "And I don't like tacky things."

He had to resist his laughter. Cosette had lived most of her life as a commoner, but she possessed a regal air that demanded respect. She was always upright, proper, and dignified. It was positively laughable to see her in a dump such as this one.

"Let's just wait a few more minutes to see if it improves," he said, doubting it already. Young people here were so boring- there was no one to have any kind of stimulating conversation with. Not that he could really talk about politics, though- anything he had opinions about was from the nineteenth century, and would give away his true origins.

Some people were smoking, and music with profane lyrics was blasting through large black boxes. Cosette groaned in disgust.

"Let's go home," she said, reaching the phone Mags had given her. Just then, Emily showed up through a parting in the crowd.

"Hi, guys!" she cried, then saw their unhappy faces. "Not having fun?"

Cosette shook her head.

"We were actually just leaving," Marius said.

"Don't go yet!" Emily said. "Yeah, it's not much fun, but nobody else showed up, and I kinda wanna stay..."

Cosette put away the phone. However, they only waited about ten more minutes before the watched a boy run to the bathroom to throw up, and watched a girl run down the stairs, fixing the straps of her tanktop while she cried.

"C'mon, I'll drive you guys home," Emily said, resigned. "I've never been to a high school party before... it kind of sucked."

When they got home, Mags was still awake because they hadn't stayed long.

"We need to talk to you," Marius said, sitting opposite her at the kitchen table. "Tell us everything you know about this blasted experiment that we're a part of. We need to go home- people will miss us, and there is no way to explain everything that's happened to us. Do people where we're from know we're gone?"

Mags shook her head. "How should I know? I get sent people like you, and then one day I wake up and they're gone. I don't get reports about what happens when they leave me. I don't even know if they go back home- for all I know, they could be sent to another time period."

Cosette went white- she hadn't even _thought_ of that. Suddenly, visions of being chased by dinosaurs or superstitious ancient Egyptians clouded her brain, and she shook in fear.

"No!" she cried. "That can't happen- and this is ridiculous. We don't _belong _here. I was raised in a quiet, conservative home, and here we are, exploited and horrified at everything around us. Meanwhile, my father probably thinks Marius and I eloped, and he's probably trying desperately to find us. When I return home, I'm going to be in _so much trouble._"

Mags wrinkled her brows, looking apologetic. "There's nothing I can do- I had a little girl stay with me once. She was only six, and wanted desperately to return home and see her family. I tried everything to send her home. I even tried writing a letter begging for her to go home, but receive nothing back. But one day she was here, and the next she wasn't. That's all I can tell you."

Cosette buried her face in her hands, rested her arms on the kitchen table, and started to sob. Marius put a hand on her back, trying to comfort her, but he himself was terrified. What if they never returned? And Cosette brought up a good point; if they were missing at home, everyone would assume they were together. Cosette would probably be in trouble, yes, but if they returned, he would be welcomed back with an arrest for kidnap. That was a sobering thought.

It could not have come at a worse time, either- the plans for the wedding were underway, and relations between his family and Monsieur Fauchelevent were cordial, but delicate at best. They'd been in this strange world for about five weeks- they only had three weeks left before their wedding date loomed. However, if they returned after being missing for five weeks, the wedding would not be first on the agenda.

* * *

Cosette opened the closet with tears in her eyes, looking at where she'd hung her nightgown from 1832, hidden in the back of the closet in case someone found it. It was her only reminder of her old life- other than Marius, of course- but it was a sorry one at that. Her nightgown did nothing to help ease the pain of missing her father. It could not bring her back home. Now, her wardrobe consisted of ugly pants that were too tight and t-shirts.

On top of it all, she was now having a terrible time in Modern European History. They'd moved on to study the French Revolution, which had been interesting enough. After all, she knew something about it, because it had happened relatively recently. However, then they studied the student street riots, even glossing over the riots in 1832. They seemed to be completely unimportant to French history- apparently they did nothing for the government, and were only mentioned for about a minute in class. That tore her up and she'd had to leave the classroom for a few minutes to collect herself.

Marius came in to wish her goodnight, and then she retired, exhausted. Her exhaustion never seemed to go away- her mind was constantly on alert, making sure she did not reveal anything suspicious to people who were around her. She was always worried about something, always worried about what was going to happen in this alternate universe. So when she closed her eyes, she fell fast asleep, completely dead to the world.

* * *

** Let me know how you liked this chapter- the last one is next. :)**


	6. Fights

**Ok, so I lied. This is not the last chapter. It's sort of the first part to the last chapter, but I didn't want to make it too long. The last chapter will be the ****_next_**** one. This one is the beginning of it, though. Hope you like!!!**

* * *

Life went on for the next week. Marius and Cosette went to school, did their homework, ate dinner with Mags, went to sleep. They withdrew themselves from social activity, so that there would be no suspicion when they finally did return home. They arranged a story with Mags. She would tell the school that Marius and Cosette were moving to Quebec for educational reasons. Another French-speaking area, but they wanted to see life outside of Europe.

Mags thought that once the time traveling company had received the results from her survey, the two would be sent back. It appeared that this was not so; ten days went by- definitely enough time for them to receive her letter. The two were still stuck.

The whole time, Marius had been trying to stay strong despite his fear. He'd been trying to hide his panic and absolute lack of answers for weeks, but one night he just broke down. Cosette had fearfully (and tearfully) joined him in his bedroom long after they were both supposed to be sleeping, but neither could get any kind of rest. She asked him a question she'd asked thousands of times before. Her voice was shaky, and she wanted an answer.

"When are we going home?" she inquired.

He sat up, and though he couldn't make out her face in the dark, he glared at her dark shape. Her question was what simply made the load too heavy- he couldn't take her fear mixed with his own. He'd been trying to bear both their weight for weeks, and it was too much. He broke.

"I don't _know!"_ he said, frustrated. "Do you think I know? I've been wondering that ever since we arrived in this god forsaken, damned place, and all I've wanted is to go back home. I know you're scared, but I'm scared too. I'm scared like I've never been scared before, and I don't have any more answers than you do. Please stop looking to me for them, because they're just _not_ _coming_. I want to get out of here, but you know what?" he gave a laugh- a pleasure-less, cynical laugh that made Cosette shiver. "That will be just as bad, because who the hell knows where we'll end up when we get back? If we _do_ get back to our time- and I say _if_ because there's so guarantee of anything anymore- then _you_ can go on living happily, yes, but God knows what's going to happen to me. Your father will file some kind of police report, and I'll be taken away, or arrested- at the very least, I'll never be able to see you again. So there aren't any good answers-"

"You know I would never let him do that!" she cried, her voice soft. He'd never spoken to her this way before- his voice was angry. Even though she knew rationally he wasn't angry at her, and that this situation was putting him over the edge, the poisonous tone to his voice still cut deeply.

"You won't be able to control it!" he spat. "Just because girls run around rampant in this time period doesn't mean anything has changed in ours. You still have to do what your father says."

She narrowed her eyes, but because he couldn't see, she spoke up. "He always listens to what I have to say," she said.

"Because he wanted to, not because he had to," Marius snapped back. "And mark my words, if we come back, nothing good will come of it. Imagine it- you return with me. And because of what happened here, you're scared out of your wits and trembling, confused, terrified. But you can't tell you father _anything_ that happened here, because he'd never believe it. You don't offer any kind of explanation for what happened in the six weeks we were missing. What do _you_ think he's going to think? No matter what you try to convince him of, he's going to be angry! He's suspicious of me enough as is!" he cried, slamming his fists down onto the bed in anguish.

Her voice was shaking when she replied. "He likes you, I know he does. He'll believe me..." she said, as though trying to convince herself. "I'm sure we'll be able to work something out," she said hopefully.

_How is she always so optimistic? _Marius thought, annoyed. In this state of anger and helplessness, he wanted her to understand how he was feeling, and try to empathize. He didn't want to hear her optimistic take on every situation, especially when he knew he was right. And about her father- he always seemed wrong to Marius. So maybe he'd been all well and good to Cosette, but Marius couldn't shake the cold, hard aura the man radiated. He was confident that Monsieur Fauchelevent would be glad to see the back of him.

"He doesn't like me, Cosette. He only let us get married because he loves _you_ so much!" he explained impatiently.

"Is that so wrong?" she asked, sounding hurt. "That my father loves me?"

"No- stop it, that's not what I meant-"

"But that's what you _said!"_ she cried, tears in her voice.

"Cosette, stop-"

"And when you said, nothing good will come of our return- well, would you rather stay here forever? Would you rather I went back alone, and you stayed here, safe?"

He didn't answer for a long moment. It was a difficult question. Of course he wanted to return home with Cosette- but what if they returned home and he was locked up, and he could never see her again? Would that be worth it? Would he rather be back in his own time period, in jail like a common criminal, accused or kidnap or worse- rape? The thought made his stomach churn- he'd be transported to the galleys. If he managed to escape those, he'd still have to go through a trial where Monsieur Fauchelevent hired some heartless lawyer who stood in front of the courtroom and told a judge lies about cruel things Marius had done to Cosette. He could not take that- he could not listen to that! But would he rather stay here? It was awful here. And though he knew there was some truth to Cosette's words- she would not let her father get away with having Marius arrested- he, Marius, had a point as well. She wouldn't necessarily have a choice. Her father could do as he pleased, and she would not even need to be consulted. The thought was maddening. It seemed that the best solution, being sent back together without incident, was far beyond their reach.

When he didn't answer, Cosette interpreted his answer as the worst. She stood, and he heard her sniffle, and when she spoke, her voice was thick with sobs.

"Fine- if you don't want me anymore, I won't force my presence upon you. Maybe I can just go home to my father, and you can stay here, as you like. There's plenty of other girls who don't ask you maddening questions."

"Cosette-" he protested, but she wouldn't let him speak.

Her eyes flashed in anger, and the rejection she felt was stifling. She felt sick, felt her stomach churning, her head throbbing, her heart breaking. Marius didn't want her. Marius wanted to stay here. Marius wanted her to return home without him. In the depths of her pain, she encountered cruelty. She'd never played with it before, but she heard Marius' words from earlier in the night. His patronizing lectures, his angry voice, his lack of desire to make her feel any better. His words had cut deep, and for the first time, she wanted to cut him back.

She heard him stand up from the bed, and start to walk towards her. She took three steps back in the direction of the door.

"Cosette, listen to me-"

"I don't want to listen. I don't want to hear _your_ take on things all the time. Hear mine. Fine- maybe you don't want me anymore. Have you ever thought that maybe I don't want you, either?" she said coldly.

He fell silent for a long moment, her words completely unexpected. He took a step away from her, feeling the slash the words before he felt the pain of them. But when he did, it was cold and suffocating.

"You don't mean that," he said softly, trying not to believe his ears.

In the silence, she instantly felt regret for the words. They'd been a lie, a lie told in anger. The cruelest kind of lie. But he hadn't denied his words, so she wasn't going to either. She was an innocent in every way, especially in the ways of anger. Her innocence could cut sharp as a knife, though she'd never intend it that way.

Though she knew her next words weren't true either, she uttered them anyway. "I do mean it," she said, and before any sobs could break through, she left the room and ran across the hallway into her own bedroom. There, she closed the door and fell upon her bed, stifling her sobs into the pillows and blankets. She wished that he would come in and follow her, but knew he wouldn't- not after what she'd just said. She felt ill- she'd never said anything evil before, and what she'd done was just that. The words had been tempting, yes, but she instantly regretted them. Maybe he hadn't hated her before, but he certainly did now. She was a horrible person. She thought for a moment there that she'd hated him for making her feel rejected, but she knew now that it hadn't been hate she was feeling. What she felt towards herself, that was hate. She never hated Marius.

As for him, he stood for a long time alone in his bedroom, hearing Cosette's words echoing through his mind. They cut deeper each time he heard them, no matter how he tried to numb himself. He tried to reconcile them- she was angry, she was hurt, she had the wrong idea, she wanted revenge. He'd made her feel rejected, she lashed out. None of it did any good- the pain of her words eclipsed all else. He wanted to go to her, lay beside her and hold her. This time when she came to him for comfort, he wouldn't snap at her- instead he would console her. But obviously she did not want him, so he stayed put.

For the remainder of the night, the two waited for morning to come, tears pouring from their eyes onto their cheeks. _In the morning, I'll apologize,_ each thought. _I know he'll understand,_ Cosette rationalized. _She didn't mean it,_ Marius thought,_ as long as she knows I didn't mean it, then she didn't mean it either._

But morning did not come the way Cosette expected.


	7. The 19th Century

Cosette opened her eyes, and at first she thought nothing was different. She was waking up in her bedroom.

Then she sat up, her heart beating erratically. She hadn't woken up in her bedroom in six weeks. She looked about- everything was the same. The bed was white, her curtains were drawn, her little knick knacks were strewn about. The only thing that was different was her attire. She was clad in cotton shorts and a t-shirt.

She'd thought about this moment nonstop for weeks, but she could not bring herself to be happy. Not with what had happened the night before. Tears sprung to her eyes at the hateful words they'd both uttered, knowing well that neither meant them.

_Well,_ she thought, wiping her tears in a businesslike manner. _I should go see how much damage is done._

So quickly, she sprung out of bed and changed out of the ugly pajamas. She donned her regular clothing, glad to be clad in a proper dress again. She did not miss the groaning, pinching pain the corset caused, but even that was a welcome pain. The familiar was comforting. She even missed her house- ugly though the apartment was. Carefully, she folded her twenty-first century clothes and hid them in the back of her bureau, just in case she needed them later.

Then, she rushed down the stairs. What would she find there? Her father, most likely. Would he be surprised to see her?

"Good morning, Cosette," he said, looking up from his cup of tea and croissant with a leisurely smile. Then his eyes drifted back down to the newspaper he was reading.

Was this a good sign? He was obviously not surprised to see her. Her happiness upon seeing him again could not be contained- she reached out and embraced him, kissing the top of his dear white head. In the process, she glanced at the newspaper. December 23- the day after she had disappeared into the twenty-first century. In short, only a night had passed.

Relief washed through her, warm like water. So nothing bad at all would happen! Marius would not be in trouble after all! How happy he would be- she couldn't wait to tell him-

_Wait,_ she told herself, fear trickling into her relief, so potent the moment before. _What if he's not here? And what if he is, and he's angry?_

"Papa?" she asked, her voice shaking. He looked up, concerned, for he heard the fear in her voice. "What time are we going over to the Gillenormond's?"

He shrugged. "Any time, I suppose. You slept late, my dear- it's ten thirty. We can leave whenever you like."

"Fine- then let's go now," she said distractedly, her mind already racing ahead. Her father blinked in surprise, not expecting her to want to leave immediately. "_Please_ papa?"

"Just give me a minute," he said, straightening his cravat.

"Papa!" she pleaded, and reached for his hand. A minute later, they were out the door.

Some thirty minutes later, they had rang on the door of the Gillenormond house. Basque greeted them and led them inside, but Marius was not awaiting them in the parlor as he usually was. Dread filled her stomach.

_Maybe he's just tired, as I was,_ she thought._ We might have just woken him. He'll be down in a minute._

But they waited for a minute, and then five, and then ten, and no one came. Finally, the door at the end of the parlor opened. Cosette's heart leaped, and she beamed. But the wrong person stepped through. The minute she saw the face, she knew exactly what had happened. Monsieur Gillenormond's wrinkled cheeks were streaked with tears. He held a handkerchief, and blew his nose like a trumpet.

"I am so sorry, my dear, fair Mademoiselle. But alas- my grandson is gone! I always he knew he was ungrateful, that wretched, republican beast of a boy! Oh, how can he abandon me, who raised him, me, who gave him everything? I wake this morning, and his bed is empty, not a note, not an address-"

Cosette looked down, and tears fell from her own eyes. Though her words from the night before had been untrue, someone had surely been listening. She tuned out Monsieur Gillenormond's whining, and stared at the floor. On the way home, she closed her ears to her father's disappointed words regarding Marius, believing that he ran off, leaving Cosette behind. She couldn't say anything to the contrary- after all, he would never believe her. So when they returned home, she shut herself up in her room. Her father did not bother her- he believed her to be feeling rejection. She was just feeling sadness.

* * *

When Marius awoke, he did not groan upon seeing his surroundings. He'd been in the garish green bedroom for long enough that he was no longer surprised by his presence within it. He rose, and then crossed the hallway directly. He felt dread and trepidation, not knowing what Cosette would say to him, but he knocked on the door anyway, intent on solving their problems. No one answered._ She's probably still sleeping, _he thought.

He knocked once more, and when no answer came, he pushed open the door. He found her bed untidy and slept-in, but without anyone in it. He couldn't let himself think what he was beginning to fear- it would just be too much for him to bear. Instead, he walked over to the bed and felt the sheets. They were cold, as though she had not been in the bed for a long time.

He ran downstairs, but a quick sweep of the house answered his question. She was not there.

His last chance was to ask Mags if she'd seen her- maybe she went out for a walk or something of the like. Mags said she thought Cosette was still sleeping.

With that, his last hope fell away. If she was nowhere to be found, there was only one answer: Cosette had left the twenty-first century.

The sheer irony of it was chilling, and made him shake with anger. He wanted to go back in time and redo the night before, certain that that was what had caused the problem. Instead, he refused school (Mags did not protest), refused food, and went upstairs. He knelt beside the window, looked up at the sky, and began to pray.

He prayed that Cosette had made it home- that she had traveled back to her year, and was not stuck, alone, in another time period. He prayed that he would follow her without incident. But mainly, he prayed so he had something to occupy his mind. When he was focusing on God, he was no focusing on his despair.

_I thought I lost her once,_ he pleaded._ And I was without her for four months. But then we found each other again. Am I to lose her again so quickly?_

For days, he simply wasted away in his room. There was nothing for him to do- if he did go to school (which he was already dead set against) it would only bring up awkward questions about Cosette's missed attendance. So Mags pulled him out at the same time as when she announced Cosette's move.

Another week passed, and their supposed wedding date flew by. He was still in the twenty-first century. Days continued to pass until he no longer cared how many of them passed, because he'd been without Cosette for much too long anyway. In his depression, he constantly heard their argument being replayed in his mind, as if on some kind of recording. He heard their hateful words shouted back and forth continuously throughout the day, and they just made him sicker and sicker.

_I never got to right my wrongs,_ he thought in agony. _She never knew that I didn't mean what I said!_

Come mid-March, when he'd been without her for weeks, he fell onto his knees, and prayed to God like he'd never prayed before, because he knew he could not stand to take another day. It wasn't enough that they were apart, was it? But being apart in different centuries, with him stuck in a foreign one... it was worse than simple separation. He seemed to be stuck somewhere alien, with no one around.

* * *

Monsieur Gillenormond had promised that, should Marius show up, he would let Cosette know. She waited all day on the 23rd, and then again on the 24th, but he did not come. Despair soaked through her being, and she knew he was not coming back. Tears pricked into her eyes, knowing that she would probably never see him again. She hated to question her faith, but she couldn't help demanding that God show her a reason for doing this. She hoped Marius was still with Mags, and not with the Egyptians somewhere.

On Christmas Eve, she retired. Her bones ached because she had not been sleeping well, but she also seemed to be carrying extra pounds around. Her sadness made everything heavier. She awoke early on Christmas morning, and had never been in a less of a holiday mood. She and her father were going to church in the afternoon, and so before that she sat on their couch in her dressing gown, staring blankly at the fire, oblivious to her father's attempts to cheer her up. Then, there was a knock at the door.

"It's probably carolers, Cosette!" he said, desperation in his voice. She smiled weakly to appease him. "I know how you love Christmas music."

* * *

Marius opened his eyes, and his heart lurched. He sat up in his bed, and then let out a hoot with joy. He had returned!

Leaping out of bed, he ran to the window, and saw that the trees were bare of leaves, there was ice on the streets, everything was gray. In short, winter was still installed in Paris.

He dressed as fast as a could and galloped down the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he reached the dining room, he found his grandfather and aunt looking sullen. His grandfather looked up, and his eyes widened.

"Marius! My _boy!_" he cried, and then stood shakily, toddling over to embrace his grandson tearfully. "You're back! I told you," he said, turning to Marius' aunt. "I told you he wouldn't leave us!"

"Leave you?" Marius said, trying to play innocent. He had no idea how long he'd been missing. He could, perhaps, have jumped forward a year, but he doubted it. Everything looked the same.

"You leave us for days without any explanation- I wake up in the morning, and your bed is empty! What did you want me to tell visitors? How irresponsible of you! Moreover, it _crushed_ me_!_ I thought you'd left! You're gone for two nights, and _no _explanation, you don't explain anything, it was two nights, but it could have two years! I thought you no longer loved me!"

"Two days?" Marius asked, his heart picking up speed. _Only two days?_ he thought, relieved. A smile broke over his face. He spun a lie, very quickly- the easiest one he had. "But father- didn't I tell you that I planned on taking these two days to go to Vernon? Every few months I try to go and see my father's grave, you know, to bring flowers and such. I'm _sure_ I told you that."

Monsieur Gillenormond grimaced. "You told me nothing. You practically gave me heart failure, and to go see that brigand of your 'father'!"

Marius stopped listening, so he didn't have to hear his grandfather's insults. Instead, he thought of something else. He needed to see if Cosette was here.

"Listen, father- excuse me. I'm heading out. It will only be a few minutes-"

"But it's Christmas! And now, we have all the reason to celebrate. We were just about to eat-"

"Don't wait for me," Marius said, already donning his coat. "I'll be back soon." And before his grandfather could protest, he was out the door. He ran through the streets until he found an open fiacre, and then leaped inside of it, ordering Cosette's address with perhaps a bit too much force. His hands were shaking the whole time. The fiacre seemed to be moving _much_ too slowly, but they eventually made it to his destination. He paid the driver and jumped out, running to the door and knocking on it.

He heard Monsieur Fauchelevent's voice inside, and while Marius waited, he tried to calm his heartbeat and his breathing. He didn't let himself think about what would happen if Cosette wasn't home- if she was gone. A few moments later, the door opened. Monsieur Fauchelevent stood there, glaring at him.

"What do you want here?" he asked.

"Please, Monsieur, may I see Mademoiselle?"

"No," he said curtly. Marius took a step back. "Where have you been?"

"I'm sure I told my grandfather this, but I think he forgot. I went to Vernon to see my father's grave for a few days. Apparently the message wasn't passed on."

Monsieur Fauchelevent listened, and digested this piece of information. He seemed to think it was a good enough excuse.

"You worried her," he said, as though clutching at straws. "It's Christmas, Monsieur," he said, looking down at Marius. "Not now. I'll tell her you came by."

"Please," Marius said beseechingly. "I need to see her. Just for a moment. I'll be gone before you know it."

"She is not dressed properly for visitors-"

"That's fine with me!" Marius blurted out. This only earned him an angry glare. He blushed. "That's... not what I meant."

Just then, Cosette came up right beside her father.

"Marius!" she whispered, her face lighting up. Valjean could do no more protesting. She was happier than she'd been in days!

Finally, Marius' hands stopped shaking and his heart palpitations could rest. He'd told himself that he would not let his guard down until he saw Cosette standing in front of him, and here she was, in the flesh. Without a moment's hesitation, she took three anxious steps forward and embraced him. Despite the fact that her father was there, Marius held her in his arms with fervency, holding her to him with maybe a little too much desperation. Going weeks without seeing her caused him to wonder if he was ever going to let her go.

She made that decision for him when she pulled back a moment later, looking deeply into his eyes. Her gaze held a whisper of their shared secret, which neither could mention but it was on their minds anyway. But mainly, there was a pleading look in them, asking for forgiveness. He squeezed her hands, and smiled. Of course she was forgiven.

Her gaze turned misty, and the two just stood their staring at each other, lost in their own moment. It was so precious to the two of them, but to Valjean, it was uncomfortable.

"Alright! You've had your reunion," he said gruffly, wondering why they had to be so distraught following one day without seeing each other. He, who had never been in love, would clearly never understand these drunkards. "Now, Monsieur, we shall see you _tomorrow,_ as always!"

Marius grinned, euphoric, and stepped back cordially. He didn't mind being banished at all- everything was back to normal, as it should be. He would see Cosette tomorrow, on December 26, 1832. Knowing that was enough.


End file.
